OpenAI CEO Sam Altman Rejects Musk’s Purchase Offer, Calls It a Delay Tactic

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has firmly stated that the company is “not for sale” and criticized Elon Musk’s unsolicited bid as an attempt to slow down its progress. Speaking at an AI summit in Paris, Altman expressed his belief that Musk, a competitor, is employing various tactics to hinder OpenAI’s advancements.

“I think he is probably just trying to slow us down. He obviously is a competitor,” Altman said in an interview with Bloomberg Television. “I wish he would just compete by building a better product, but I think there’s been a lot of tactics, many, many lawsuits, all sorts of other crazy stuff, now this.”

The animosity between Musk and Altman has roots in Musk’s concerns that OpenAI is straying from its not-for-profit founding principles. Altman previously dismissed a $97.4 billion offer from a Musk-led group with humor, stating, “No thank you but we will buy Twitter for $9.74 billion if you want.”

Altman further criticized Musk, suggesting that his actions stem from a place of insecurity. “His whole life is probably from a position of insecurity,” Altman remarked. Despite this, the OpenAI board is exploring various options for the company’s future, though selling the AI operations is not under consideration.

“OpenAI is not for sale. The OpenAI mission is not for sale,” Altman reiterated, emphasizing the company’s commitment to its mission.